Bartolo Colon dominant as Rangers shut down Mariners 5-1

SEATTLE (AP) — Bartolo Colon laughed off having a line drive hit him in the stomach, allowing four hits in 7 2/3 shutout innings and giving the Texas Rangers a 5-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.

On the cusp of his 45th birthday, Colon (2-1) put together arguably his best performance this season. Colon was excellent spotting his fastball and using his breaking pitches to keep Seattle off balance, a night after the Mariners scored nine runs.

Delino DeShields gave Texas the lead with a two-out RBI double in the eighth inning to score Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The Rangers added four more in the ninth, all after Ryon Healy’s two-out error and two runs scoring on a wacky strikeout.

Ronald Guzman struck out swinging with the bases loaded and two outs, but catcher David Freitas couldn’t handle the pitch from Marc Rzepczynski. Jurickson Profar scored from third on the passed ball and Kiner-Falefa from second after Freitas made an unnecessary throw trying to get Guzman at first base.

But Colon was the story, including taking the brunt of Jean Segura’s line drive off his stomach in the fourth inning, then laughing about it as Rangers staff came to check on him. It was the second time this season he pitched into the eighth, the previous against Houston when he was perfect through seven innings. Colon struck out two and threw 71 of 96 pitches for strikes.